aking the
direction of the bird's flight, they soon reached Hispaniola, where the
captain had the satisfaction of finding all the other ships had arrived
before him, and had sold all their cargoes. Cortes, as soon as he
landed, went to see Ovando, the governor of the island, whom he had
known in Spain, and presently was persuaded by him to accept a grant of
land and settle down to cultivate it, though at first he said, 'I came
to get gold, not to till the ground like a peasant.' So six years
passed, during which the monotony of Cortes's life was only broken by
occasional expeditions against the natives, in which he learned to
endure toil and danger, and became familiar with the tactics of Indian
warfare. At length, in 1511, when Diego Velasquez, the governor's
lieutenant, undertook the conquest of Cuba, Cortes gladly accompanied
him, and throughout the expedition made himself a favourite both with
the commander and the soldiers. But when later on there arose discontent
over the distribution of lands and offices, the malcontents fixed upon
Cortes as the most suitable person to go back to Hispaniola, and lay
their grievances before the higher authorities. This came to the ears of
Velasquez, however, and he at once seized Cortes, whom he loaded with
fetters and threw into prison. Luckily he soon succeeded in freeing
himself from the irons, and letting himself down from the window took
refuge in the nearest church, where he claimed the right of sanctuary.
Velasquez, who was very angry at his escape, stationed a guard with
orders to seize Cortes if he should leave the sanctuary, and this he was
soon careless enough to do. As he stood outside the church an officer
suddenly sprang upon him from behind, and made him prisoner once more.
This time he was carried on board a ship which was to sail the next
morning for Hispaniola, where he was to be tried, but again he managed
to escape by dragging his feet through the rings which fettered them,
and dropping silently over the ship's side into a little boat under
cover of the darkness. As he neared the shore the water became so rough
that the boat was useless, and he was forced to swim the rest of the
way; but at last he got safely to land, and again took refuge in the
church. After this he married a lady named Catalina Xuarez, and by the
aid of her family managed to make his peace with Velasquez. Cortes now
received a large estate near St. Jago, where he lived prosperously for
some y